PEORIA, Ariz.  A year ago at this time, Jesus Guzman was at the crossroads of his baseball career.

Only the persistent nagging of then Padres general manager Jed Hoyer kept Guzman from taking his talents to Japan.

However, as he spent his first spring with the Padres, Guzman came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to make the Padres’ Opening Day roster.

“But I thought that I was going to get a chance from the Padres some time last season,” Guzman said Sunday morning.

And if he didn’t?

“I would probably be playing in Japan right now. As much as my dream was to play in the major leagues, I wanted to make some money from the game for my family. Last season was going to be my final shot.”

And when he finally got a shot at the age of 27, Guzman hit a bullseye.

--After reaching the major leagues last June, Guzman batted .312 over the second half of the season with more doubles and RBI than any other Padre.

--While with the Padres, Guzman’s .431 batting average with runners in scoring position was the highest in the major leagues.

--His .346 batting average at Petco Park is the highest ever by a Padre with more than 100 at-bats in a home season since the ballpark opened in 2004.

But Guzman came to camp last week with questions to answer.

--Was his performance over the second half of last year a true indication of his future or a false positive?

--And where do you play Guzman?

“While Guzie had a great second half last season, there’s still some wait-and-see,” Padres manager Bud Black said recently. “It’s still a small sample size. Pitchers are going to make adjustments. I’m sure notes have been shared over the winter.”

However, new Padres hitting coaches Phil Plantier and Alonzo Powell like what they see of Guzman right now and what they’ve seen in the past.

“What I see is a professional hitter,” Plantier said Sunday. “He uses the entire field. He has athletic hands. He can manipulate the barrel of the bat in the zone and hit to any field.

“You have to admire the guy. He’s not afraid to use everything he has. And he’s up there to make it happen.”

Prior to joining the Padres early in 2011, Guzman had a career .300 batting average in the minors and was coming off back-to-back, .321 seasons with the Giants Triple-A affiliate in Frenso – which is not quite the hitting paradise that Tucson is.

And three years ago, Guzman broke the RBI record in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Yet, he had only one, 20-at-bat cameo in the major leagues with San Francisco in 2009 when he chose the Padres over a more lucrative contract in Japan.

“I was never frustrated, I never gave up,” said Guzman. “But sometimes, I asked myself, what happened. Why am I still in the minors?”

The reason heard most often was defense.

During his minor league and Latin American careers, Guzman has played everywhere on the field but catcher. But there have been questions regarding his strength at any position.

“I can make the routine plays,” said Guzman. “With work, I know I can get better. The only thing I can do is work hard to be the best I can be.”

Guzman originally signed as a shortstop and he brought his shortstop glove to the Padres camp just in case. He also has four other gloves in his cubicle for playing first, third, second and the corner outfield spots.

“If they want me to try catcher, throw it in there,” said Guzman.

“You have to love Guzman,” said Black. “He’s all in . . . totally committed.”

Guzman’s best defensive position is probably first base, where he made 52 of his 62 starts last season. But the Padres have acquired Yonder Alonso to play first.

His next best position might be left field, where he made six starts in 2011. But the Padres acquired Carlos Quentin to play left.

Third? Chase Headley. Second? Orlando Hudson.

“I played center for a full winter in Velezuela,” recalls Guzman, who knows he’d never win the nod there over Cameron Maybin.

“Just sayin . . .”

Meaning he’ll do anything.

“Baseball is all about timing and luck,” said Guzman. “You have to be the right player at the right time. I think last year was my time.”

As expected, Guzman did not make the Padres out of spring training. He opened the season at Triple-A Tucson, where he was hitting .332 with eight homers, 57 RBI and a .423 on-base percentage while the Padres struggled with Brad Hawpe, Jorge Cantu and Anthony Rizzo at first.

From the day he debuted with the Padres through the end of last season, Guzman was the toughest out in the Padres lineup with a .369 on-base percentage to go with his batting average. And in RISP situations with two outs, Guzman hit .444 RISP.

In just 76 games, he tied for second on the Padres season-long RBI and doubles charts.